1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for balancing the structure of a human mouth to function in harmony with artificial dentures which have been previously manufactured, for balancing the biting surface of natural human teeth in the jaws, or for balancing an artificial denture during or after its design or manufacture, and, in particular, to a method and an apparatus for balancing the temporomandibular joints of a human mouth in relation to the vertical closure of the jaws. The method and apparatus of the invention may be used with natural teeth, single denture plates, full denture plates, immediate dentures and bite-opening splints for temporomandibular joint treatments where an unbalanced bite has caused joint pains, hearing problems, headaches or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Disease of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because it mimics many different diseases and has such a wide variety of symptoms.
Most people who have this problem suffer from a myo-facial pain-dysfunction syndrome primarily as a muscle problem related to dental or skeletal malrelationships and tensional factors, or in some cases, as a reversible irritation in the temporomandibular joint. Most of these patients can be successfully treated using nonsurgical techniques if the symptoms are correctly diagnosed and treatment follows early in the disease. Failure to properly diagnose and treat the disease early, however, usually results in progressive organic disease spreading within the joint, usually osteoarthritis. The latter often requires some form of surgical treatment.
The present invention offers a form of treatment that avoids the trauma of surgery and offers instead a quick and non-traumatic procedure which can be done to permanently and accurately correct the balancing of the temporomandibular joint and associated jaws and teeth in the mouth.
Prior art, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,543 issued to the present inventor, has proven that the procedure of balancing the temporomandibular joint and jaws by correcting the mating of the occlusal surfaces of the teeth in the mouth is successful in treatment of temporomandibular joint disease and its attendant symptoms.
The present invention improves upon this prior art by providing a method and apparatus capable of use by a dental technician and requiring only minimal professional supervision to ensure its proper functioning and treatment.
The present invention also provides both a method and apparatus that is quicker in treatment than those methods or apparatus of the prior art.